Lotus Song
by Dongyrn
Summary: Ren is cautiously optimistic of his burgeoning relationship. Now if he can just keep the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR from meddling… Sequel to Eros and the tenth story in the Lemonade series.


**Standard Disclaimer:** All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily the glorious minds at Rooster Teeth, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing.

* * *

Beacon Academy  
Tuesday Evening

As had become their custom, Lie Ren and Yatsuhashi Daichi met in a secluded corner of the garden on the Beacon grounds after dark. Each wore simple, comfortable clothes and brought their bamboo mats along.

"How was your day today, Ren?" Yatsuhashi asked solicitously.

"Well, thank you. Yourself?"

"Also well, though uneventful."

They shared a brief smile before arranging themselves on their mats, legs crossed in the lotus position and hands placed loosely on their knees. When they had started their meditation sessions over the weekend, they had sat with a respectable distance between them. Now, their mats were almost touching.

Ren pushed the train of thought off to the corner of his mind. _I am not dwelling on the possibilities of the future or the memories of the past. Now is the time to clear my mind._

 _And simply enjoy the company of Yashi._

He did allow himself a very slight smile as he remembered that first night, when the giant hunter-in-training asked him to use the nickname. As he understood it, only his teammates called him that.

If he were to be honest with himself, the friendly gesture caused more than a few butterflies to float about in his middle.

Pulling in a deep breath that filled his lungs, Ren slowly let the air out, releasing all of his stress and tension with it. Soon enough his breathing was slow and modulated.

Curiously, it was in sync with his meditation partner.

They were there for perhaps fifteen minutes when Ren noticed they had company. A pair of individuals, from the sounds of their attempt at stealth. A soft snort issued from Yatsuhashi to indicate he had heard as well.

 _I suppose it was only a matter of time,_ he sighed inwardly. _I wonder who gathered the courage first to try and observe us? If I were a betting man, I would guess Yang and Nora, but the two of them would sound like rampaging Ursae no matter how quiet they would try to be._

The soft rustling went on for almost a full minute before it stilled. Ren sighed softly.

"You may as well come out."

"Sorry, Ren, we were trying really hard to be silent!" a small voice piped up.

The sound caused Ren to turn his head and glance over his shoulder. "Ruby?" he asked incredulously.

"And me as well," Blake murmured, slightly abashed.

"We didn't mean to, um, spy on you guys," Ruby added hesitantly. "We just wanted to, well…"

The two girls emerged from the bushes and stood holding hands, both looking as if they were caught sneaking cookies when they shouldn't.

 _A situation I imagine Ruby has some familiarity with_ , Ren thought to himself humorously. Out loud, he replied, "What was it you needed?"

"We just, um…" The small redhead seemed to be reaching for the right words to latch onto. With an affectionate sigh, Blake came to her girlfriend's rescue.

"The two of us were curious about your meditation," the Faunus explained gently. "If it wouldn't be too intrusive, would you mind if we simply sat with you quietly?"

"Yep, quiet as a mouse, that'd be us," Ruby gushed enthusiastically. "Won't even know we're here, just sitting here all quiet-like. That'd be us. Quiet."

"Ruby," the raven-haired girl smiled, placing her hand over her girlfriend's lips. "Shush."

"Sorry," the redhead replied, her words muffled.

Ren glanced over at Yatsuhashi amusedly. The large man shrugged. "I do not have a problem with it if you do not."

"Very well," Ren agreed, closing his eyes again.

He allowed his mind to drift once more, surprised that the two girls, after settling onto a bench behind them, were true to their word and made virtually no sound.

After the hour was up, both Ren and Yatsuhashi inhaled sharply before stretching their arms over their heads.

They wordlessly got to their feet to roll their mats up, but Ren paused as he glanced back behind him again.

Blake was sitting on the bench with Ruby lying next to her, her head on the Faunus' lap.

"Is she asleep?" Ren asked humorously.

The raven-haired girl nodded with a soft smile while she ran her hands through her girlfriend's dark red tresses. "We came for the serenity," she explained quietly. "I think it was a little too much zen for her."

Yatsuhashi chuckled. "Good to know we're a calming influence."

Blake returned the chuckle. "Well, next time she's overhyped on sugar, I know who to call."

Ren and Yatsuhashi gave her a friendly smile as they departed, the Faunus stating that she'd let Ruby slumber for a while longer, at least until her posterior got tired of the bench.

"That was… unusual," Yatsuhashi murmured.

Ren nodded. "Not the two I expected to snoop."

"Yes, I imagine there might be some curiosity about us."

They walked for some while longer before Ren dared to say what was on his mind.

"I might have some curiosity as well," he whispered.

The tall man nodded slowly without pausing in his steps. "I imagine so," he murmured. "Is what we have sufficient for the time being?"

"For now," Ren agreed, somewhat incredulous at his own daring in his response.

"Then," Yatsuhashi continued, "be content in the knowledge that… what we have is a matter of introspection for me in my meditations. And while I do wish to… discuss it further, I must ask for your patience."

"That is acceptable," Ren replied quietly.

Yatsuhashi paused at the entrance to the dorms, turning to place one of his massive hands gently on the slender boy's shoulder.

"I greatly appreciate the time we spend together," he murmured earnestly. "And I also appreciate your… patience."

Ren smiled slightly, daring to briefly place his own hand over Yatsuhashi's. "I am patient," he agreed. "And I will wait for you to arrive to where you need to be."

Yatsuhashi returned the smile, squeezing his shoulder with a tenderness at odds with his size, before entering the dorms and heading for the second-year student wing.

Ren stood in place. Internally he was dancing about in a most un-Ren-like manner, though outwardly the only reaction was a slight widening of the smile. But then he started at a soft clearing of a throat behind him.

Blake stood there with a sheepish smile, carrying a still-slumbering Ruby on her back while grasping her under her knees. The diminutive redhead's arms flopped bonelessly in front of the Faunus' chest.

"Sorry to eavesdrop," Blake murmured. "But… I just wanted to say how happy we are for you. All of us, that is."

"It is only a beginning," Ren replied modestly.

"We all started out as only beginnings," Blake smiled, turning to place a kiss on Ruby's cheek. The small girl mumbled inaudibly before burrowing further into her girlfriend's black mane of hair. "But those beginnings can become something extraordinary," she continued, her voice somewhat wondrous.

"One can hope."

"And we do, all of us. Nora and Ruby even ganged up on Yang to forbid her to tease you."

"That was… very nice of them." Ren stepped forward, holding the door open for Blake to enter with her softly snoring cargo.

"It's the least we can do," Blake grinned as she passed him.

Wednesday Morning

The combined teams of RWBY and JNPR were in their usual spots the next morning, blearily attempting to kick-start their day via copious intakes of either sugar or caffeine, given their preferences. Particularly in the case of Ruby and Nora, who tended to use the unadulterated energy of sugar to power their semblances rather than their aura, according to the two of them anyways, their boost of choice consisted of chocolate-chip pancakes oozing with copious amounts of strawberry syrup.

"How can you even eat the two of those flavors together?" Blake murmured, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Ifth delifious," Ruby mumbled around her forkful.

"Yeah, don't knock it till you try it!" Nora added, sopping up her syrup with a pancake in her hand.

"Nora…" her blonde girlfriend sighed sleepily. "You are not touching me until you wash your hands."

"Didn't mind getting all sticky last night," the pinkette snickered.

"Nora!" six voices complained in unison. Ren just shook his head in amusement, far too used to his best friend's antics to be taken aback by anything any more.

"Is this a bad time?" a light voice chirped from behind. Team CVFY stood there with breakfast trays in hand, looking on with various degrees of hilarity.

"No more than usual," Jaune replied to Velvet with a chuckle. "Care to join us? We can all shift over."

"Much appreciated," Coco smirked. "I notice a satisfactory amount of caffeine on the table here. Obviously we're in the right place."

"Come, drink and be merry!" Yang cheered as she slid over a seat. "Or, at least, drink and try to wake up. Are second-year classes this early as well?"

"I'm afraid so," Velvet laughed. "Hence the coffee ritual."

"One we are well familiar with," Blake commented.

Velvet placed her tray next to Jaune and sat, as did Yatsuhashi next to Ren, much to the latter's pleasure. He simply gave the large man a welcoming smile, which was returned warmly.

"Sooo…" Yang drawled, glancing over at Jaune and Velvet. "You two an item now?"

The blonde boy and the brunette Faunus glanced at each other shyly. "I… suppose we are?" Velvet replied hesitantly.

"I think we could say so, yeah," Jaune grinned.

Velvet smiled back at him winningly. "Right, then. Yes, we're a couple."

"And now how about you two?" Weiss interjected, pointing her fork between Ren and Yatsuhashi.

The table got very quiet, as several incredulous stares were shot at the heiress.

"Sweetie, we're not bringing that up just yet," Pyrrha murmured under her breath.

"We're not?" the platinum-haired girl asked, puzzled.

Her redheaded girlfriend leaned over and whispered a few things in her ear while the others just looked down at their food in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm sorry," Weiss grumped after a few seconds. "Obviously I didn't get the memo."

"It is fine," Ren sighed with a slight smile.

Yatsuhashi nodded genially. "No offense has been taken. Though, you will not be getting an answer yet."

"Yet?" Yang grinned expectantly, only to squawk when she was hit upside the head by her girlfriend. "Ow! Dammit Valkyrie, what was that for?"

"You know very well what that was for, Blondie," the orange-haired girl smirked.

"I wasn't teasing," Yang grumbled.

Nora quickly took pity on her pouting girlfriend and leaned over to place a kiss first on the back of her head and then her cheek. Yang grinned in return, sneaking in a quick peck on her lips before she could withdraw.

"So, then," Ruby broke in, clearly trying to shift the conversation in a new direction. "Can I ask you a question, Fox?"

"Me?" the tanned boy replied, perplexed at having been addressed. "Um, sure, go ahead."

"Are you actually blind?"

"Ruby!" her platinum-haired partner chastised. "That is incredibly insensitive!"

"Why's that? I mean, it's just a question…"

"It's okay," Fox laughed, not offended at all by the small team leader's irreverence. "I don't mind, really. And yes, I'm blind, have been from birth."

"But… I don't get it!" Ruby interjected. "I've seen you fight, and you're all _whapow_ and _hiyaa_ and all that, how can you fight like that if you can't see?" She flung her hands about as she talked, narrowly missing smacking Ren on the nose. Blake, accustomed to the excitable girl's antics, had already shifted her head back out of range.

"It's my semblance," Fox explained. "When I activate it, I become hyper-aware of things."

"Oooh, is it like radar? Or sonar? Or something like that?" the small redhead asked intently.

"More like… I see the auras of people, or the distinct lack of an aura. Inanimate objects show up as a middle hue. Coco has explained to me that it might be best interpreted as grey. While auras shine brightly, and those without them, such as Grimm, are a solid dark."

"Like black," Coco nodded. "Pretty sure it's monochrome from what Foxy's described."

"That's actually pretty fascinating," Blake murmured. "I imagine you would be at an advantage at night or in darkness."

Fox shrugged modestly. "I am anyways, I can sense things well enough to get around even without my semblance. Especially by touch, I have very sensitive hands."

"Oh, yes he does," Coco sighed dreamily.

"Annnd that's enough details, thankyouverymuch!" Ruby interjected, blushing slightly and causing laughs to erupt around the table.

"Nora, I burnt my tongue on my coffee. Kiss it and make it better?"

The pinkette giggled as she pulled her girlfriend down into a kiss. "You are such a dork," she murmured affectionately.

Thursday Evening

Ren and Yatsuhashi had been in their accustomed meditative positions for almost half of their usual time when, unexpectedly, the giant man cleared his throat quietly.

"Would it disturb you to converse while we sit here?"

His brow slightly furrowed, Ren shook his head slowly. "Not at all. What is on your mind, Yashi?"

"I… would like to discuss… us."

"Oh. I see." Ren tried to quell the resurging butterflies as they threatened once again to take over his stomach. _A King Taijitu I can face fearlessly, and yet here I am terrified of a conversation._ "Please continue."

Yatsuhashi sighed, the sound like a gust of wind rolling down a mountain. "I have not had many… relationships. Most of them were somewhat superficial. I have been examining ours, however, and… it seems to be different. In a good way."

Ren willed himself not to shift position and remain his usual outwardly placid self. "I feel the same about you," he confessed quietly. "And I am not one to move quickly in anything of such… import. Yet I feel the need to do so, and it confuses me."

The man next to him chuckled. "Why Ren, that was positively eloquent of you."

He smiled gently in return. "It happens sometimes," he agreed wryly.

They sat in silence for another minute, Ren waiting patiently for his friend to continue.

"I am unusually nervous," Yatsuhashi mentioned softly.

"As am I."

"What I am attempting to get at… and I am hopeful I am correct in the assumption that you wish for the same… is that I would like to explore a relationship with you."

Ren let out a happy exhale. "You are correct," he replied with a wider smile. "I would greatly like that as well."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "Good."

The pair of them resumed their meditation, the air of contentment radiating from each man almost tangible.

"I must warn you though," Ren interjected quietly. "I do believe Nora will owe Yang lien over this matter."

The large man blinked his eyes incredulously. "They… made a bet on us?"

"On the timing of it, from what I overheard."

Yatsuhashi's booming laugh echoed throughout the garden.

* * *

 **A/N:** I honestly keep meaning to return to my MCU fanfic, but I keep getting sucked back into RWBY. It's become an obsession.

Also, I have to come up with a name for Ren and Yashi. As **AntonSlavik020** mentioned, I really do like unique pairings. Unless someone has a better notion, I'm going with Ninja Samurai. Comments or objections? Drop it in a review.

 **EDIT:** For the Lie Ren and Yatsuhashi Daichi pairing, officially I'm going to have to go with **Uriel Godfire** 's suggestion of Zen Masters. It's far too awesome to pass up.

Hugs and adorable Ruby snuggles for reading yet another installment of the _Lemonade_ series. This marks the tenth story and is the sequel to _Eros_ , as well as my second hopefully less-than-lame attempt at yaoi. Fear not, I will return to our other three fearless yuri couples soon enough. Also a shout out to my reviewers from the last one:

 **AntonSlavik020:** I responded via PM but you get props anyways for helping me decide who Velvet was going for (Playboy Bunny!). I wonder though if I should be using Yatsu or Yashi, as I don't recall anyone actually using a nickname for him in any episodes. Dang, now I need to go rewatch them… again…

 **Baby Hedgehog-Cute but DEADLY:** OMG YOU HAVE THE BEST USERNAME EVARRR! Sorry, brief kawaii attack. But anyways, thanks for the props, glad you enjoyed it, and hope you do this one as well!

Here's the full listing of the _Lemonade_ series, in order:

 **Pink Lemonade  
** **Just A Little Ladybug  
** **North Pole Weather  
** **Snow Angel  
** **Sweet, Sweet Lemonade  
** **Ladybug Trails  
** **Trifecta  
** **Yuletide Lemonade  
** **Eros  
** _ **Lotus Song  
**_ **Strawberry Lemonade  
** **Ladybug Stitches  
** **North Pole Mirror  
** **Fallen Ladybug  
Sugar Rush  
North Pole Faith**

That's it for now! Stay shiny!


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